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Journal article
Racial residential segregation is associated with ambient air pollution exposure after adjustment for multilevel sociodemographic factors: Evidence from eight US-based cohorts
Environmental epidemiology, v 9(1), 367
01 Feb 2025
PMID: 39839804
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Objective:
We examined if racial residential segregation (RRS) – a fundamental cause of disease – is independently associated with air pollution after accounting for other neighborhood and individual-level sociodemographic factors, to better understand its potential role as a confounder of air pollution-health studies.
Methods:
We compiled data from eight large cohorts, restricting to non-Hispanic Black and White urban-residing participants observed at least once between 1999 and 2005. We used 2000 decennial census data to derive a spatial RRS measure (divergence index) and neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) index for participants’ residing Census tracts, in addition to participant baseline data, to examine associations between RRS and sociodemographic factors (NSES, education, race) and residential exposure to spatiotemporal model-predicted PM2.5 and NO2 levels. We fit random-effects meta-analysis models to pool estimates across adjusted cohort-specific multilevel models.
Results:
Analytic sample included eligible participants in CHS (N = 3,605), MESA (4,785), REGARDS (22,649), NHS (90,415), NHSII (91,654), HPFS (32,625), WHI-OS (77,680), and WHI-CT (56,639). In adjusted univariate models, a quartile higher RRS was associated with 3.73% higher PM2.5 exposure (95% CI: 2.14%, 5.32%), and an 11.53% higher (95% CI: 10.83%, 12.22%) NO2 exposure on average. In fully adjusted models, higher RRS was associated with 3.25% higher PM2.5 exposure (95% CI: 1.45%, 5.05%; P < 0.05) and 10.22% higher NO2 exposure (95% CI: 6.69%, 13.74%; P < 0.001) on average.
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that RRS is associated with the differential distribution of poor air quality independent of NSES or individual race, suggesting it may be a relevant confounder to be considered in future air pollution epidemiology studies.
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Details
- Title
- Racial residential segregation is associated with ambient air pollution exposure after adjustment for multilevel sociodemographic factors: Evidence from eight US-based cohorts
- Creators
- Hiwot Y Zewdie - University of WashingtonCarolyn A Fahey - University of WashingtonAnna L Harrington - University of WashingtonJaime E Hart - Harvard UniversityMary L Biggs - University of WashingtonLeslie A McClure - Drexel University, Epidemiology and BiostatisticsEric A Whitsel - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillJoel D Kaufman - University of WashingtonAnjum Hajat - University of Washington
- Publication Details
- Environmental epidemiology, v 9(1), 367
- Publisher
- Lippincott
- Grant note
- N01HC95169 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01 ES027696 / NIEHS NIH HHS P01 AG055367 / NIA NIH HHS UH3 OD023271 / NIH HHS U01 HL145386 / NHLBI NIH HHS 75N92020D00003 / NHLBI NIH HHS 75N92021D00002 / NHLBI NIH HHS N01HC95163 / NHLBI NIH HHS N01HC95166 / NHLBI NIH HHS T32 ES015459 / NIEHS NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001401981200001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85216032102
- Other Identifier
- 991022025737804721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health